There was that one time, when
by Down the gutter I go
Summary: Daryl and Carol's best moments...
1. Chapter 1

There was that one time, when... part 1

There was that one time, when Daryl had been on a raid and he brought her back a few new shirts. He had guessed her size. She was so grateful, she wore them all the time. They fit perfectly and became her favourite shirts. She wore them all the time.

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><p>There was that one time, when they had played ping-pong in the prison's rec-room. Carol was so into the game, Daryl let her win every single time.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, Carol tried to indicate the size of a fish she had one caught and she poked Daryl in the eye. It watered all night. He wouldn't let her forget it.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol saw Beth give Daryl a hug. With a pang she felt jealous. It was the moment she realised she felt more for Daryl than just friendship. She wanted to be the one hugging him.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl was having breakfast. In the distance he saw Carol and Maggie talking. Maggie made a joke, which made Carol laugh. He loved her laugh, it always made him smile.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when after a Counsel meeting Hershel asked Carol to stay behind. He was worried about her, because she seemed distracted and wanted to know if she was alright. She confessed her feelings for Daryl. She felt so relieved to be able to talk about it, until she saw Hershel's expression change. Daryl was standing right behind her and had heard the whole conversation. She was so embarrased, she didn't dare face Daryl for three days after that.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl had passed her cell and heard her cry. He looked inside and saw Carol lying on the bed cradling Sophia's doll. Without a word, he stepped inside, spooned Carol on the bed and held her tight all night.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl allowed Carol to look at the scars on his back. She ran her fingers passed them and wanted to kiss every single one. She didn't. But she wanted to.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol wanted to kiss Daryl on the cheek, but it misfired because he mistook her gesture for a hit and put his hands up to his face.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when it was so hot in the prison they were all outside and someone started a waterfight. By the time they were all drenched and clothes stuck to Carol's body, Daryl had already checked her out three times. She had such a good ass.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl had been sitting on the ground tinkering with bikeparts. He was so stiff from sitting, she gave him a hand to pull him up. It took him just a few seconds too long to let go of her hand. To this day she still can't tell if he gave her a tumb-stroke or if she imagined that he did.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when she was in the library reading a book. He found her there, reading. Joining her, he asked if she would read to him. She did. He layed his head on the table and had fallen asleep listening to her voice. She wasn't insulted, on the contrary. She had watched him sleep for an hour.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when they were both in the watchtower and made up stories of all the walkers that were pushing up against the fence. After a while Carol had gotten cold and Daryl gave her his leather jacket to wear. It smelled of him.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when she unexpectedly found a bouquet of Cherokee roses in her cell.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when they hugged for the first time after her confession to Hershel. Well, it was more Carol hugging Daryl. He stood there like a two-by-four. It was very awkward, for both of them.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when they fell asleep together after one of their talks. Carol woke up with Daryl already looking at her. They both smiled simultaniously.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol had kissed Daryl for the first time. She started off with one on the cheek and asked if that was alright. He just stood there, "hmmm"-ing a bit. She gave another one, half on the cheek, half on the side of his mouth. Again, he didn't move. Just his eyes darted. She gave him another one on his mouth. He didn't respond at all. She took a step back and egged him on: "it's ok to kiss me back, you know...". It took a few goes, but after that, Daryl was unstoppable.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol had been cooking everyone breakfast. She handed him a bowl and he thanked her by kissing her on the nose in front of everyone. It was his first official public display of affection. They both blushed from ear to ear.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

There was that one time, when... part 2

There was that one time, when Glenn brought back a guitar from a run and was quite good at playing it. Carol wanted to dance and tried to get Daryl to stand up and move around with her a little bit. She failed miserably.

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol offered Rick to have Judith for a sleepover, so he could get a good nights sleep. Daryl came to her cell in the middle of the night when he heard Judith crying and found Carol cradling her, singing a lullaby. It was then he realised how hard losing Sophia must have been for her. And what a great mother she had been.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol caught Daryl coming out of the shower. He was still wet and glistening. She could duck away before he could see her, but she was so turned on by the mere sight of him, her vibrator worked overtime that week.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl had come back from a run in the middle of the night. First thing he did was check up on Carol. She'd fallen asleep waiting for him. He had kissed her on the temple and sat outside her cell, waiting for her to wake up.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when they were on the bed together just chatting and Daryl confessed he hadn't had much experience with women. Carol just smiled, kissed him passionately and told him, it would all be alright. They would take it slow.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol tried going down on Daryl. He was so uncomfortable and just sat there on the bed with his eyes tight shut. Carol hadn't even touched him yet, looked up and she just felt so sorry for him, she stopped. Maybe some other time.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl found out Carol's major turn-on were kisses on the back of her neck. After that, he would sneak up on her every chance he got.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl acted all mysterious and Carol had no idea what was going on. There were whispers and giggles behind her back. She checked herself in the miror a few times that day to see if there was something wrong. But there wasn't. That night Daryl surprised her with a candle-lit dinner for two in the prison's courtyard. It was the most romantic thing someone had ever done for her.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when they finally succeeded in making love. The previous times they tried Daryl had been so nervous; his erection failed him. Carol had been patient and already knew this would happen. They took their sweet time. And when it did happen, it was like the angels were singing in the background.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

There was that one time, when... (prt 3)

There was that one time, when Daryl put a dead walker's head underneath Carol's bed. He thought she would appreciate the joke. Boy, was he wrong!

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol was washing her clothes. She found Daryl's underwear in between her own clothing. He must have snuck them in. Daryl and washing wasn't a very good match. She didn't say anything and washed his clothes from then on. Neither of them ever spoke a word about it. Carol just finds the occasional chocolatebar in her cell as a "thank you".<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl was accidentally hit in the head with a shovel. He had a concussion. She felt sorry for him, but secretly Carol loved taking care of grumpy, complaining Daryl.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol was in her cell, rearranging things. Daryl snuck up on her and he scared her so badly, she nearly lost her cool. It made him laugh so hard, it made the others come round to have a look. They didn't recognise Daryl's laugh, no one had ever heard it before.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when taking a walk through the prisonfield together. Carol stepped in a pothole and sprained her anckle. Daryl picked her up and brought her to heer cell. She finally had a reason to wrap her arms around him with out it being awkward. She didn't feel the pain after that.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when they were both in his cell. The mood was romantic and Carol thought to herself to make a move. She started to undress herself, slowly. She figured that way he wasn't the only one embarassed. He ran his fingers past her collarbone, along her sides and around her waist. He thought she was beautiful, but it took him a long time before he found the courage to tell her. It was the most erotic expierence Carol had ever had up to that point. Her knees had buckled.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl had cracked a joke and Carol had laughed so hard, when she caught her breath, she uttered "oooh, I love you!", before she realised she'd said it. Daryl had fallen quiet and blushed bright red. She stepped up to him and whispered:"you don't have to say it back...I just want you to know."<p>

Two days later she found a Cherokee rose and a note on her desk in her cell. The note just read: "me too". It became her most prized posession.

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol found out Daryl's birthday was coming up. She moved heaven and earth to find him new arrows for his crossbow. He was deeply impressed when he opened her gift; he didn't know what to say. It had been years anyone had remembered his birthday, let alone give him a gift.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when during a Counsel meeting Daryl was giving her an eyefuck, so obviously, Carol was convinced everyone had noticed. It made her both excited and uncomfortable at the same time. After the meeting was over, they all had left the library except for Carol who was the last to leave. She grabbed Daryl by the shirt and dragged him back to his cell. All he had to do was stroke her between her legs, while she still had her pants on. She came, whimpering , when he combined it with a slow kiss. He was so proud of himself.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

There was that one time, when... (prt 4)

There was that one time, when Carol wanted to join Daryl on a dangerous run. For days he tried to talk her out of it. He didn't want her in danger, while she didn't want him going off on his own. In the end they agreed Carol would come along. She enjoyed being outside of the prison. Seeing Daryl in action was a major turn on, as was the adrenaline that kicked in. Once they aqcuired the things they needed, they found a quiet spot to park the car and release some of the adrenaline. It was the hottest sex they ever had. They made a good team.

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><p>There was that one time, when Daryl found an abandoned kitten just outside the prison. It has lost its mother and it needed to be hand-reared for it to live. Daryl turned out to be quite the daddy. Carol admired his determination and kindness toward the small, helpless animal. It was sweet watching him talk to the kitten all day, carrying it around in a sling on his chest. It grew up to be a friendly pet; it followed Daryl all around the prison and became a beloved prison cat.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol baked a few of her pies. It was the best damn pie Daryl had ever tasted and he ate all of it. He lived to regret it during the night, but he never told Carol about it.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol had been sick with food poisoning. Daryl stood by her bedside the whole time to take care of her. Rubbing her back while she threw up. She was too ill to be embarrassed. She was just grateful he was there. He helped her change out of her clothing, wet from sweating so much. It was the first time he caught a glimpse of her scars. He never realised she had any and it made him furious. It was a good thing Ed was already dead. Daryl was so angry, he could have killed him all over again.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol woke up and realised it was her birthday. She'd never mentioned it to anyone and the day passed by quietly. In the evening Daryl came to her with a small gift. She unwrapped it and it turned out to be different shades of eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick. She thanked him, while he mumbled something about that being "stuff women were into". The next day at breakfast Carol emerged from her cell with her warpaint on. Daryl almost chocked on a piece of meat. He barely recognised her. After the shock wore off, Carol shared her new stash with the rest of the women.<p>

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><p>There was that one time, when Carol was grateful to shower at the end of a particularly hot day. She stripped down and stepped into one of the cubicles. She let the water flow over her and wash the dirt away, when suddenly she felt two familiar hands slide around her waist. She looked back and saw Daryl, being equally dirty, looking at her apologetically, like he cound't help himself. They scrubbed eachother down first. Then they made the same rounds around eachothers bodies again, but slow and more tender this time.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

There was that one time, when (prt 5)

There was that one time, when Daryl had involuntarily been spending time with the biker-boys. He had lost Beth and was on his own. They had forced him to join them and live by their rules. He fell back into "old Daryl" mode. Adapted to the agression, the dominance they wanted to establish and bowed down to the Alpha male. They stipped him of the few possesions he had. But he had kept his dignity and his crossbow. The first few days he used to observe his captors. To find some routine, hyarchie, rules or codes these men lived by. Weakspots he knew they all would have. He found a few and kept to himself.

He remembered what he had learned during his time with the prison group and although all of them might be dead now, that didn't mean he had to forget. But being the better person with these kind of guys meant getting killed, so he went along with them. Frequently he recalled what living with Merle was like. "What would Merle do?", was a question he asked himself often in order to give the right response to a request or situation. It took every ounce of his being to survive living with these people, who's mindset was so far removed from his own.

Along their way they had seen the "Terminus" signs. The Alpha male decided it would be a good idea to visit this place. Check it out, to see if there was any good loot to be found. He was looking for an excuse to make trouble and start a fight. These guys lived on adrenaline. "Why hurt yourself, when you can hurt other people?", was the running motto of this crew.

The journey along the tracks was long and boring. Plants had grown wild, the tracks were whitered and had been unused for years. It had been hot; water was scarce. Daryl had been running on empty. The thought of just ending it all was very tempting during these days. The men wouldn't leave him alone, beat him, take stabs at him, tried to get as much information out of him as possible, but he hadn't said a word. He didn't give them anything. In his mind, Daryl had killed the Alpha a hundred times over. If he would check out of this world, at least that motherfucker was coming with him.

Terminus turned out to be a walled colony. The gates opened as soon as they knocked and yelled hello. They stepped inside the big courtyard and the first thing Daryl noticed was how many people were there. He hadn't seen so many living people in the same place for years. There seemed to be a market going on, hustle and bustle of salesmen and women and customers trying to find whatever it was they were looking for. There were animals, chickens, dogs, horses. On the left seemed to be a some sort of carpark. On the right was an area with halls, probably living or sleeping quarters. Straight ahead was the tallest building which Daryl figured would be some sort of cityhall.

The Alpha didn't like any of this. Too many people, too orginised. They would stand out like a sore thumb amd at the fist sign of trouble, they would be thrown out anyway. He wanted the group to turn around and leave immediately. Daryl hadn't even processed what he was seeing when the Alpha was already rounding them up to leave. Daryl was in confusion, the rest of the group was argueing with the Alpha, trying to convince him to change his mind, when suddely, out of the murmurs from aournd him, he heard something familiar.

"Da...Daryl...Daryl, is that you?!" It came from behind him. He didn't need to look around to know who it was. He was no longer alone. He was no longer lonely and scared. He was no longer an outcast. He was no longer helpless and defenseless. He was no longer suspicious, mistrustfull and onguard. He was no longer unloved, unknown and anonymous. He was no longer sad, frustrated and desparate. He turned around with his head down, his bottomlip starting to tremble. He took a few steps, before he fell down on his knees in front of Carol. Arms out, she caught him, before he could hurt himself on the cobblestones. He sobbed in her arms, releasing all the anger and hurt that had accumulated over the past weeks after Carol's banishment and the fall of the prison.

Through his tears he saw the rest of them. Rick, holding baby Judith, Carl and Tyreese. He had found his family again. He knew he would be alright.


End file.
